Amazon reveals $50 Fire TV Basic Edition, shipping to 100 markets

Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) is introducing its streaming hardware to more worldwide users. It's also available in over 100 new markets. There's also support for 1080p HD video streaming with the High Efficiency Video Codec, as well as Dolby Audio for a higher-quality audio experience. Users can set the default language to Spanish, French, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, German or English.

The new device represents a big expansion for Amazon, as the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick has in the past been available to only US customers.

This streaming media player lets customers access TV shows, apps and games on their TV, launching in over 100 countries and territories worldwide, building on Amazon's launch of Prime Video previous year. Amazon is investing billions to create content for the service which offers access to "thousands of movies, TV shows, apps, and games", according to the company.

In addition to Prime Video, the 32-gram dongle can stream content from Netflix, YouTube and "over 4,000 apps and games across more than 100 countries and territories".

In terms of specs, well, the Basic Edition appears to be more or less the same as the standard Amazon Fire TV Stick, except the Basic Edition doesn't ship with Alexa voice support.

Amazon Fire TV Stick Basic Edition is available for purchase today on local Amazon sites in Canada, France, Italy, and Spain, with Brazil and Mexico coming soon. The tiny and portable Fire TV Stick plugs into your TV's HDMI port and once connected to Wi-Fi, you'll be able to "start streaming in minutes". That device is available for pre-order now and slated to begin shipping on October 25 for customers in the US.

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